1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to dedicated or modified non-lethal firearms equipment, and particularly to a non-immobilizing projectile that disperses marking material upon impact with a target.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various designs of non-lethal projectiles exist that are typically tailored to the specific application with which it is to be used. The terms “projectile” and “bullet” are generally used interchangeably herein, although as understood by those skilled in the art, a bullet may be housed within a cartridge in static condition before firing, and become a projectile when launched. A projectile is in a dynamic condition as referred to herein after firing when on its way through the air toward a target prior to impact. The projectile or bullet is in a static condition prior to firing such as when loaded into the chamber of a non-lethal modified or dedicated firearm, or when assembled prior to loading. Applications include paint ball, and in this context, it is desired to have a projectile that marks a human target on impact, but does not cause pain or immobilization. Generally, paint ball rounds are fired in a game setting. They effectively mark targets without causing even moderate pain or injury upon impact. They also have short ranges and inaccurate trajectories that pose highly reduced safety concerns compared with lethal ammunition.
In a paint ball application described at U.S. Pat. No. 5,965,839, which is hereby incorporated by reference, a delivery housing is described for providing trajectory stabilization and distance during delivery of the marking material-filled casing. This extra housing adds an undesirable layer of complexity and cost. It is desired to have a stable non-lethal projectile with adequate range that does not include such a delivery housing containing the marking material-filled casing when the projectile is in the dynamic condition.
The '839 patent and multiple other references describe projectiles including delivery housings that contain one or more casings that are filled with marking material. The casings are often exploded upon impact by a sharpened edge within the delivery housing. In addition to the '839 patent, another example of a projectile uses a sharpened edge or “striker” and is described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,226. The striker perforates a container of incapacitating agent upon impact of the projectile with a target. Multiple orifices are provided around a casing that delivers the container to the target along its trajectory for omni-directionally dispersing the incapacitating agent. Other projectiles that include striker components for breaking open a container of fluid under pressure are described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,461. These designs using sharpened edges typically have the marking material casing resting nearby raising an clear risk of premature puncture and release of marking material. It is desired to have a multi-function casing that both contains the marking material and provides a stable and aerodynamic delivery mechanism that also forward-disperses the marking material upon impact.
Like these games, some training applications and target practice generally require only that the projectiles mark a target upon impact. Whether or not they would be immobilizing or lethal in nature if they struck a human target may be unimportant, irrelevant, or even undesirable as raising unnecessary safety concerns. However, some non-immobilizing projectile designs have trajectories that may be drastically different than typically higher speed lethal projectiles, and this unsatisfactory. A training aid should allow the training to mimic real conditions as closely as possible while sufficiently subsiding the safety concern to participants' lives inherent in live-fire conditions. It is desired to have a non-lethal projectile that may maintain a stable trajectory similar to that of a non-training immobilizing and perhaps lethal projectile for training and target practice applications.
A very different approach in design for a non-lethal ammunition round is described at U.S. Pat. No. 5,652,407. The design includes multiple parallel and entirely cylindrical projectiles. The projectiles launch simultaneously and tumble through the air toward impact striking the target at various orientations. Marking materials may be impregnated within, coated on or carried by the projectiles. The spread of the strike locations and marked regions is random and broad, e.g., similar to the result of multiple impacts by shotgun shrapnel. Moreover, the trajectories may vary and are likely inaccurate and of short range. It is desired to have a more stable and long range trajectory, and a more concentrated impact and marking material dispersion zone upon impact.
A further application for non-lethal projectiles is riot control. It is typically desired that these projectiles either harm, but not kill, a target person upon impact, or release some form of immobilizing agent, such that either way, the person will be deterred from the further pursuit of rioting. Generally, the marking of targets on impact is not high priority for these applications.
In a baton round for riot control, U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,028 describes a projectile including a casing filled with multiple balls, e.g., steel ball bearings, that redistribute upon impact to soften their effect. The purpose is to deter further rioting without causing serious harm to the targeted person. There is no marking material or other agent within the projectile that disperses upon impact with the target.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,489 describes a ring airfoil projectile that is designed to be aerodynamic and to have a high spin rate in a dynamic condition. The ring airfoil design is provided to increase stability, flatten the trajectory and increase the range. Other ring airfoil projectiles are described at U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,270,293 and 4,262,597. The projectiles are ring-shaped, i.e., with hollowed centers. There is no marking material described as being associated with any of these projectiles.
Another non-marking projectile is described at U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,809. The projectile includes a woven bag that fills through a valve with some of the same pressurized propellant that ejects the projectile from a launching device. The bag inflates upon leaving the launcher, which slows the projectile and softens the impact. Another controlled-deformation projectile is described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,028 that spreads out at such a diameter that penetration is limited and energy is rapidly spread out by instantaneous enlargement.
Other examples of cartridges including non-lethal projectiles without marking materials, e.g., for training, animal control, or riot control purposes, are described at U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,415,718, 6,564,719, and 6,295,933. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,662 describes a projectile that may be fired from a conventional shotgun. The projectile may be loaded into a conventional shotgun casing. The projectile has “arms” that extend in dynamic condition to prevent the projectile from penetrating the target. The projectile is described as being filled with buckshot and weights.
At U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,327, a projectile is described as including a base member and point shaped component to form a chamber for holding a disabling agent such as pepper powder or other disabling gas or liquid. A hollow tip and cylindrical body form an inner cavity which is closed after the agent or other substance is inserted. The walls include fracture lines that are designed to break laterally and longitudinally upon impact for causing lateral distribution of the agent. Such fracture lines are formed within casings of projectiles also described at U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,393,992, 6,543,365 and 6,546,874.
Several conventional projectile designs for use with non-lethal firearms and cartridges provide liquid or gaseous expulsion upon impact or are themselves liquid or gaseous and propelled directly from the firearm device. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,548 describes a non-lethal firearm device for directly ejecting liquids or gases under pressure, but not solid projectiles. The device is described as being designed to propel a debilitating chemical substance such as pepper spray or mace. Another example of liquid or gaseous propulsion firearms is described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,779.
Various projectile designs exist that provide marking and immobilization upon impact. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,230,630 and 6,615,739 describe projectiles that include both marking and immobilizing agents. The projectiles include cylindrical and hemispherical components that are separated by a circular insert to isolate their interior volumes. An embodiment is described wherein, after joining these three components, the marking material is dispensed through a fill port to the interior volume of the hemispherical portion that is subsequently sealed. In another embodiment, marking material is contained within glass ampules that are placed within the interior compartment of the cylindrical component.
Among other examples of conventional technology are a projectile including a transmitter that is used in combination with a reader target as described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,946. Another projectile delivers an electrical shock upon impact with a target as described at U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,806. A non-lethal, one- or two-piece projectile is described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,741 for being fired from a grenade launcher. A variable lethality projectile is described at U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,913, and a further projectile, although not of non-lethal design, is described at 6,672,218. All of the patents described above are hereby incorporated by reference into this application for all purposes.